By Edward Dankwah, GNA
Accra, Sept. 1, GNA – Mr Mahama Ayariga, the Minister for Local Government, Chieftaincy and Religious Affairs, has announced government’s plans to launch a nationwide “war against indiscipline” as part of efforts to transform sanitation and waste management in Ghana.
He said the campaign would target poor sanitation practices and strengthen citizens’ responsibility towards waste management, including compliance with statutory payments to Metropolitan, Municipal, and District Assemblies (MMDAs).
Mr Ayariga said the planned campaign would go beyond infrastructure and financing to address what he described as behavioural and civic indiscipline.
The Minister made the announcement after an early-morning assessment of waste management activities in Accra, where he said the exercise had exposed significant gaps in the systems for collecting, transporting and treating waste.
He visited the Korle Bu landfill site, Achimota landfill site, Kpone landfill site, and the Accra Compost and Recycling Plant.Mr. Ayariga said the government was focused on restructuring the entire waste management chain, beginning at the household level, and that waste separation must be introduced at source, with households provided with appropriate bins and receptacles to facilitate collection.
He called for transfer stations to be located closer to communities, while treatment and composting facilities should be strategically positioned near cities to reduce the distance waste has to travel.
“The infrastructure, the technology to do all this is available. A lot of it is organizational,” he added.
He indicated that the findings from Accra would inform discussions with regional ministers and serve as a basis for planning similar interventions across the country.
The Minister was accompanied by Dr Fatima El Sheikh, the Vice President of Badea, and her technical team, as part of efforts to explore financing opportunities for Ghana’s waste management sector.
e said the government was seeking resources to invest in the various stages of waste management to make the system more efficient and affordable.
Mr Ayariga stressed that residents, property owners, businesses and industries must take financial responsibility for the waste generated through their activities.
He said the government would apply the “polluter pays” principle, under which those who generated waste were expected to contribute towards its management.
He explained that residential properties, factories, businesses, and other establishments generated both solid and liquid waste through their activities and should therefore contribute towards the infrastructure and services required to manage them.
The Minister said the government would place greater emphasis on the payment of basic rates, property rates, market rates and sewage levies, describing them as important sources of revenue for local authorities.
He argued that improved collection of such revenues would strengthen the capacity of assemblies to provide essential services without relying excessively on central government funding.
Mr Ayariga said businesses and industries operating in urban areas must also contribute to addressing the sanitation challenges associated with their operations.
He noted that factories and other economic activities attracted workers and residents to cities, increasing demand for housing, sanitation, and other municipal services.
The Minister said assemblies must be accountable for their revenues by investing in services that directly improve the quality of life in communities.
Mr Ayariga expressed confidence that a more efficient waste management system could reduce the financial burden on households.
He said residents had a responsibility to keep their communities clean and comply with their obligations to local authorities, while assemblies had a duty to provide efficient services in return.
e, therefore, pledged that the government would pursue transparency, accountability, and efficiency alongside enforcement.
GNA
Edited by Kenneth Odeng Adade